Grand National 2010: Nick Skelton wants to carve a niche in history

The Grand National rarely fails to throw up a fairytale. The Aintree course is
one of sport's great levellers, often favouring the journeyman or a novice
over the proven champion. All of which is good news for Harry Skelton, a
20-year-old conditional jockey still awaiting his full licence.

Centre of attention: Harry Skelton and Niche Market after their Irish Grand national success Photo: PA

If anything, Skelton is even less experienced than the 25-year-old Nigel Hawke, who won on Seagram in 1991 just two months after losing his claim. Yet he does have form. A year ago, almost to the day, he won the Irish Grand National on Niche Market, the horse he will be riding on Saturday.

"Niche Market is a different sort of horse, because he's not speedy," says Skelton, "but he stays forever and – touch wood – he jumps really well." Exactly the sort of horse, then, that should prosper in the soft ground predicted for Saturday's big race.

There is a strong bloodline here – not only in Niche Market, who is trained by the very capable Bob Buckler at Henley, in Somerset, but in the Skelton family too. Harry's older brother, Dan, is assistant trainer at the Ditcheat stables of champion Paul Nicholls where he is indentured. And his father, Nick, is quite simply the most successful show jumper these islands have produced. "My first memory – of any kind – is of watching TV with my brother when Dad won the World Cup on Dollar Girl," says Skelton. "That was in 1995, so I would have been six."

At that age, Harry was already trotting around on Oxo, a stalwart pony who had previously initiated his father into the world of riding. Curiously, he bore the same name as the 1959 Grand National winner. "I think Oxo died when he was 38," said Harry. "It was a very sad day in the family, like losing a favourite uncle."

Harry was pretty handy over the poles himself, and it wasn't long before he had worked his way up to junior internationals. Then came adolescence and a crunch decision: should he continue as a show jumper, or switch to racing as soon as he turned 16? Harry's father recommended the road more travelled. His concern wasn't the prospect of competing against Skelton junior, but the limited number of people that make a decent living from showjumping.

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"It's difficult in our game," says Nick, "because you need good owners and good horses, which are rare and expensive. I'm lucky to have a very good owner, but five or six years ago I was struggling to find horses for myself, let alone for Harry. He was always small and light, and everything pointed to jump racing."

However, the path into National Hunt racing is not exactly paved with gold. Plenty of capable jockeys end up scraping a living on around £15,000 a year. But as soon as Harry set out, it was clear there was something different about him. He had a silky touch – the result, presumably, of being schooled by his father from such an early age – and his horses seemed to glide over the fences.

"It has definitely helped me that I did so much showjumping," he says. "The further out you can see the stride, the better. And my dad is always there to talk things over. It doesn't matter where he is – America, Spain, anywhere in the world. After every race, I speak to him on the way home. I'll know if I've given the horse a bad ride or a good ride, but he'll always pass on his opinion and help me put it right. There's nobody who knows more about jumping a horse."

Nick is clearly delighted that his two sons have followed him into the equestrian world, even though he knows the risks as well as anyone. Nine years ago, he broke his neck in two places in a horrific fall, and was told that he must never ride again. Happily, that verdict was changed after the bones had knit, and he is now working towards a medal challenge at the 2012 Olympics.

"I nearly killed myself," Nick says, "but that's all part of the life. The good thing about Harry is that he's a sensible lad, with a head that's a lot older than his years. He's had some success, but he's still doing things in the right way, not being in too much of a rush and going quietly-quietly."

Nobody can accuse any member of the Skelton family of taking horses lightly. Harry doesn't drink or smoke, in emulation of his idol 14-times champion Tony McCoy, and lives a quiet life in the small Somerset town of Shepton Mallet. The kitchen, in the house he shares with fellow Ditcheat conditional Ian Popham, is festooned with trophies and framed copies of the Racing Post. "We have racing on the telly 24/7," he says, "and pictures of horses everywhere. But that's what we do every day, and I've never wanted to do anything else."